The clock is ticking for Kyle Dubas and his five year contract as he enters his final season as Toronto Maple Leafs GM. It’s more obvious than ever that after four consecutive seasons of first round play-off exits for the Leafs, changes will be made if history repeats itself. There is no doubt in Dubas’ regular season success, especially as the 2021-2022 season could arguably be one of the most memorable regular seasons in team history. The Maple Leafs crushed their single-season bests for wins (54) and points (115) and superstar Auston Matthews broke franchise records for single season scoring with a whopping 60 goals. Expectations were set high for the Leafs when entering the play-offs coming off the back of a record breaking season, but the Tampa Bay Lightning ruined these plans with a win in game seven after a hard fought series.
Players and fans are looking to break some more records this year, particularly their first-round playoff “curse” that has seemed to haunt them for four consecutive years. With Kyle Dubas’ final season preparing to play-out, excuses are running low in terms of the Leafs play-off success. This year Kyle Dubas plans to focus on the team’s success and help them win a Stanley Cup, without letting his lack of contract be a distraction. Dubas has consistently resisted against the remake of the Leafs roster aside from the play-off downfalls against Boston (2018-2019), Columbus (2020), Montreal (2021) , and Tampa (2022). So, yet again, this season we can anticipate Dubas depending on his talented offensive core led by Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. There is no doubt that Dubas has great confidence with his players and team potential this year, but we can most definitely anticipate changes following the 2022-2023 season if the Toronto Maple Leafs play-off losing run is not broken this upcoming year.